Latvia Day 1: Riga
Meet Uncle Igor: A man in his 60, with an opinion about everything, a knowledge of an encyclopedia, the stamina of a healthy marathon runner, and a care of a true uncle.
After making sure that we had all the food that we can fit into our stomachs (relatives and overfeeding is the theme of the journey thus far), at 11 am we headed to the old city.
Riga’s old city is slightly smaller than Tallinn’s, has a different charm and we covered all of it! And we mean ALL of it! Just look at the pictures, if you don’t believe us. As mentioned before, Uncle Igor is a walking encyclopedia. He gave us a better tour than any tour guide could have. All was done with sarcasm, care and some beers to break up the day. (Of course we forgot most of it right away, but we were still very engaged and impressed).
Highlights of the day:
- We found a clock in a café that is identical to the one that my parents own and has been in the family for generations. See picture: Parents, please send a picture of our clock so we can make a true comparison. (I can guarantee that the chime is EXACTLY the same)
- We found the statue of Bremenskie Muzykanty and we were able to reach the highest nose. (This is supposed bring us luck in our journey!)
- As we stood and watched a photo shoot of one of the many weddings, the groom approached us and handed candies asking something like, “Be happy for us”. We thought it was cute!
- A cock the size of a pony (see pictures)
- A lavishly restored Russian Orthodox church (Moscow calling?), and a completely deserted VEF (one of the biggest Soviet times manufacturers of various equipment)
Overall we loved Riga, the old town is beautiful, interesting, and hold tremendous amount of history that we hope Uncle Igor will put down in writing one day.
Cheers,
us